1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical power generation, and particularly to a system for generating electrical power by the rotational movement of wheels positioned on vehicles, such as cars, trains, bicycles, and motorcycles.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been a goal of automotive manufacturers and designers to make driving more economical, by finding ways to conserve fossil fuels, and to decrease the carbon footprint created by such vehicles, by finding ways to reduce emissions from combustion products. Systems that have been developed by the automobile industry to take advantage of kinetic energy, wind resistance, and solar radiation to make driving more economical and more environmentally friendly, however, have a variety of drawbacks. Kinetic systems, for example, include an electric generator and a battery storage for recovery of energy as the vehicle decelerates. The energy that is recovered using this method is created by energy compression and vehicle braking and is stored in batteries. However, the energy produced using kinetic energy systems, is limited and not completely recoverable due in part to insufficient battery capacity. The systems designed to recover energy from shock absorbers also have significant drawbacks, because, like the energy produced by the kinetic systems, the energy produced by the shock absorbers is not completely recoverable due to compression heating. Solar power energy recovery systems are also inefficient due to the insufficient battery capacity. Further, systems developed to recover energy from wind are inefficient since they typically increase the drag on the vehicles; thereby, increasing the amount of energy needed to power the vehicle and, in turn, increasing the amount of fuel consumed. Such system can also adversely affect the aerodynamic shapes of the vehicles, which are intended to reduce drag and can make the vehicles more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.
Thus, a vehicle wheel fan and wind turbine system addressing the aforementioned problems is desired.